Feeding mechanism for flax-brakes.



515,805,550. v PATENTED 11110.y 5, 19.05.

n G. H. BLLIS..

FE'EDING MECHANISM PORPLAX BRA-KES. APPLIOATIONHLED 0012151904.v

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1'. y

No. 806,650. PATENTED 1350.5, 1905.

G. H. ELLIS. FEEDNG MBCHANISM FOR FLAX BRAKES.

- APPLICATION FILBD'OCT. 15,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.

GEORGE H. ELLIS,` OE OHIOAGO,ILI INOIS, AssIGNoR To INTERNATIONAL lHARVESTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION 'OE NEw JERSEY.

' specification.

While this invention is designed to be used in connection with flax-brakes and is shown applied thereto, it is also available for use-on similar machines inwhich a uniform supply of straw is required.

- The obj ect in view is to furnish im roved means for presenting a uniform flow o straw to the breaking and scutching mechanism regardless of the possible excess in the quantity'placed upon the feed-table. The said means are designed with a view to making' them more simple in construction, more efficient in Operation and economical in manufacture than devices heretofore provided for such purposes.

` ner which will cause them totraverse the With these and other objects in view the invention consists in providing two opposed needles having a gap therebetween, the vsaid points being arranged and operated in a manstraw passage-way, through which the material is fed to the machine. The straw is made to bear yieldingly againsttheneedle-points,

while the extent of the gap, the rapidity with which it traverses said passage-way, and thepressure of the straw against the needlepoints are all factors which will determine the amount of material delivered to the machine.

While the opposing needle-points might be attached to a continuouslyrotating member or to any' other suitable -Ymeans4 which could be arranged to traverse the straw passage-Way, the preferred form of the invention is set forth in the accompanying drawings,

in which- Figure 1 represents is embodied my improved feeding mechanism.- Fig. 2 is a transverse section of same,

taken. asfindicated by the line 2 2 in Fig. 1 and showing the relative position of the needle, the feeding-table, the feed-cham drive, the straw -receiving mechanism in the rear of the needle, and other parts. Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal section of the machine,4

Specification of Letters Patent. Applicata; mea caoba; 15,1904.- seri'aiiio. 228,494.

Mechanism for Flax-' ollowing is a complete the fingers of the feed-chain.

a side elevation of thel feed end of Va flax-'breaking machine in whichl FEEDlNG. MEOHANISM Fon FLAx-BRAKES.

taken adjacent to the needle and thel toothed feeding-wheel, as indicated by the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. portion of Fig. A3 which shows the delivery end of the straw passage-way, the needlepoints, andv the toothed feeding-wheel adj acent thereto.. This view is designed to show4 the manner in which the straw is ressed against the needle-points and forced t ough the gap .between said points. Fig. 4 illustrates the construction ofthe friction-clutch on the driving-shaft of the feed-chain, the

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.l

Fig. 3EL is an enlarged view of that view being partly in section and taken longitudinally with respect to said shaft. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective of one of theneedlepoints. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of Fig. 7 is a plan view`of same, and Fig. 8 is a transverse section showing in detail the preferred construction of the links of the grasping-chain.

vReferring to the drawings, A designates the rectangular frame ofthe machine, which consists, preferably, of angle-irons, the angles 1 forming thelongitudinal sills, theangles 2 the vertical members, and the angles 3 the transversely-extending members of the frame. ln suitable bearings on the frame A is journaled the transversely-extending shaft 4', on which is mountedl the hexagonal-shaped sprocket-wheel y5, this sprocket-wheel su porting the forward or engaging end of t e grasping and feeding chain 6.' This grasp-v ing-chain 6 moves in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. v1, its function being to convey the material through the machine in Vorder that itmay be operated upon bythe 'provided on their straw-engaging surfaces with twov rows `of teeth 6 bilaterally arranged, as shown iii-Fig.` 8, With`two intervening grooves 62, these grooves vfitting upon corresponding wayson the guide 64.

Arrangedf'in front of the machine is the feed-table l8, .on the frameof which, in suitable bearings, are journaled the shafts 9 and 9 sprocket wheels 1Q and 1 0 respectively, about which is placed thefeeding-chain 11,. Pivotally secured to thespecial. links 11. of the said feeding-chain, these special'links lbeing placed at suitable intervals, are the iin- To these shafts are-rigidly secured the gers 112, which are provided with the tappets or cam projections 113. The cam proj ections 113 engage the guides 12 (see Fig. 2) on the feed-table and hold the said fingers rigid while so engaged; but on leaving the guides the fingers are free to turn on their pivotal bearings, as shown in Fig. 1, and thus disengage themselves from the straw which has been pressed in front of them. This arrangement also enables the feeding-chain to be extended to a position nearer the end of the table, and hence closer to the needle frame B, since the fingers can assume a non-interfering position when assing around the forward sprocket-whee 10.

To insure a uniform pressure of the straw against the points of the needle B, the driving-sh aft 9 for the feed-chain is provided with a friction-clutch, as shown in Fig. 2 and in enlarged detail in Fig. 4. The disk 13 is rigidly secured to the shaft 9 by a set-screw 13 or other suitable means, while the opposing disk 14 is sleeved loosely upon said shaft. The driving-pulley 15 is rigidly secured to the hub of the loosely-.mounted disk 14 by means of set-screws, as shown, the collar 16 bearing against the hub of the disk. The leather disk 14-, secured to the surface of the disk 14, provides proper contacting surface for the friction-drive, A coil-spring 17 is placed on the end of the shaft 9 and made to bear against said collar. A second collar 18 bears against the outer end of the coil-spring, as shown. The hand-lever 19 is pivotally mounted on the bracket 20, with its pivotal point at 29, and is provided with the slot 19 at its upper end, which engages said driving-shaft and bears against the collar 18, thus affording means for regulating the pressure between the disks 13 and 14. The lever 19 is held in position and controlled by a series of notches 21 in the plate 21, the free end of the lever being held into said notches by means of the spring-rod 422. By regulating the pressure between the disks in this manner the pressure 4between the straw and the points of the needles can be adjusted to the proper degree and the desired amount of straw be made to pass through the gap in the needle-frame B.

Above the delivery end of the platform S of the feed-table is the top or upper guide 23, which terminates at its delivery end beyond the said needle and at the periphery of the toothed feeding-wheel 36, as shown in Fig. 3. The butt-board 23 is arranged longitudinal of the feed-table and perpendicular thereto, thus forming a wall against which the butts of the sheaves of flax to be operated upon are pressed in order to effect an approximate adjustment and evening of the straws when they are placed upon the table and before being engaged by the grasping-chain 6. The

guide 23, the board 23, and the feed-table S may be regarded as elements which constitute the guide for the straw and collectively form the straw passage-way.

Arranged at the rear end of the feed-table and transversely relative thereto is the vibrating needle-frame B, the principal novel feature of this invention. This needleframe consists, preferably, of two arms 24, slightly divergent inwardly and rigidly connected at their convergent ends by means of the castings 25 and 26, the connections being effected by the yoke-bolts 24 as clearly indieated in Fig. 2. The casting 25 is provided with a centrally-arranged bearing which journals upon the shaft 27, this shaft being supported in suitable brackets upon the frame of the machine, thus affording a pivotal support for the outer end of the needle. The needle is therefore free to vibrate to a limited extent in a vertical plane, and motion is colnmunicated to it in the following manner: A transversely-extending shaft 23, driven from any convenient part of the machine, has on its forward end the crank-disk 29, provided with the wrist-pin 29. A pitman 30 connects the said wrist-pin with the casting 26. fn Order to render the pitman connections universal, and thus provide for transverse lateral movement of the lower end thereof, such movement being required in consequence 0f its vibrating about the shaft 27 as a center, the said connections between the casting 26 and the wrist-pin 29 are effected by means of the journal-boxes 31 and 32, respectively, as clearly shown in the several figures. The extent of the vibratory movement imparted to the needle will depend either upon the throw of the wrist-pin 29 on the crank-disk 29 or upontlie distance of the casting 26 with its bearing from the pivotal center of the needle, the movement in either event being sufficient to vibrate the free ends of the arms a distance substantially equal to the depth of the straw passage-way.

The arms 24 of the needle are constructed of pipes tapered as shown, on the free ends of which are fixed the rectangular blocks 242. To these rectangular blocks are secured, by the bolt 33', the opposing needle-points 33, the construction of which points is set forth in Fig. 5. These needle-points are arcuate in form, the center of their curvature being coincident with the center of vibration of the needle-arms. The needle-points are arranged somedistance apart, leaving the gap 34 therebetween. The arrangement of this gap 34, the needle-points 33, and the pivotal center of the needle itself is made symmetrical with respect to a horizontal line passing through the center of the straw passage-way midway between the guide 23 and the floor S of the feed-table, so that the gap between the said points is made to traverse the height of said passage-way. Itis manifest that the amount of strawforced past the needle-points through the gap 34 will depend upon the extent of the mechanism already described, which will'` permit the straws which lie .adjacent to said -soaes said gap, the rapidity with. which it is made' to traverse the said" straw passage-way, and

the pressureiwith which the straw is forced against the said needle-points.

To prevent deflection of the free' ends of the arms 24, due to the pressure of the straw against the needle-points, the guide-plates 35 are placed on both the front andyrear sides'of the free ends of said arms, the blocks 242 on said arms contacting said guides.

In order to insure the straw being'removed from the` delivery side of the vneedle and passed to the grasping-chain 6, 4the' toothed feeding-wheel. 36 is linterposed therebetween, the said feeding-wheel having. a diameter somewhat upon -whic the grasping-chain is mounted and with which itis concentric.

immediately upon its delivery from, the needle and to force it on into engagement with the said grasping-chain, the guides 37 hold-I ing the straw in engagement with said wheeli The operation of the machine will be readily understood. Bundles of flax straw are placed upon the feed-table `8, the position of the butts being determined'and evenedup by the board 23 the bands having been-severed. The straw is engaged about midway of its lengthby the finger 11 ofthe feedchain 11 and pressed forward beneath the guide 23 andagainst the needle-points 33. The needle-frame B is made to vibrate by needle to be pressed through the gap 34 when said gap successively registers with, their several positions. The manner inwhich the straws of flax are 'forced through the needleany one of these particular straws-as, forinstance, e-this straw e will be forced through the ga Simultaneously with their passing throug the gap the gap -will have moved to a new position and the pressure on the straws will bring others to occupy the place formerlyvoccu ied by the straws which have passed throug the gap. Assoon as the straws pass the needle-points they are no longer subjected to any appreciable pressure, and the tapered needle-points 33 will cause the straws to beA forced towardv the feedingwheel 36. The feeding-wheel will then; en'- gage the straws and will not permitthem to greater than the sprocket-wheel y5 This en-rables the feeding-wheel to engage the straw again occupy a' position' adjacent to the points.V As themovement of the needle is comparatively -rapid,the angle of the needle will thus exert a constantt'endency to force the straw onward in' its movement in the direction of said" feeding-wheel. In practice the needle-. oints are made about three the gap a width of three thirty-seconds of an inch. The average diameter of flax-straw is about one-sixteenth of an inch, some of course exceeding this and some falling below; but the width of the gap is such that only one straw ofan average size is permitted to pass therethrough at once; but where two did not 'thirty-secon s of an inch apart, thus giving exceed three thirty-seconds of an inch they could both vpass through the gap abreast of each other. The result is that a sheetJ of .straw of a single straw in thickness is fed through the feeding .mechanism to the feedflow of ber from the delivery end of the machine. The arrows in Fig. 3a indicate the direction in which the pressure bears upon they individual straws. As the straw passes through the gap in the needle-frame it is immediately engaged by the toothed feedingwheel' 36, whichforces it forwardly into engagement with the grasping and conveying chain 6. After being engaged by .this-chain 6 the straw is operatedupon by the breaking vand `scutching mechanism which, as before intimated, is not material in this connection. Iffit isdesired to increase the quantity of straw admitted through the gap, the lever 19 is dropped, compressing the spring 17, which will increase the driving eiciency of the friction-disks 13 and 14, and thus increase the pressure brought to bear by ,the .feedingchain 11 upon the straw in front of the needle-points 33. To secure a lighter feed, the

-above operation is reversed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 'is- 1. In a feeding mechanism for flax-brakes, -in combination, guiding means for the straw,J said guiding means formin a straw passageway, a device'provided wit opposing points having a gap therebetween, said points being arranged to traverse said straw passageway, actuating means 'for said device, and

. ing-wheel, whichwillresult in a very uniform` Ioo l IIO means for pressing the 'material into said `passage-way and against said points, substantially as set forth.

2. In a'feeding mechanism for flax-brakes, in combination, guiding means for the straw, said guiding means forming a straw passageway, a device provided with opposing points having a gap therebetween, the said points V being arranged to traverse said straw pas- Ioints, substantially as set forth. `n a feeding mechanism for dax-brakes,

sage-way, actuating means for said device, L and yieldingly-driven means for pressing the y. material into said passage-way and against said 3.

rigo.t

in combination, guiding means for the straw, said guiding means forming a straw passageway, a vibrating needle-frame provided with opposing points having a gap therebetween, the said points being arranged to traverse said straw passage-way, means for vibrating said needle-frame, and means for 'pressing i the material into said passage-way and against said needle-points, substantially as set forth.

4. In a feeding mechanism for aX-brakes, in combination, guiding means for the straw, said guiding means forming a straw passageway, a yieldingly-driven feeding-chain operating in said passage-way, a vibrating needle-frame provided with opposing points having a gap therebetween, said points being arranged to traverse said straw passage-way near the delivery end thereof, and means for actuating the said needle-frame, substantially as set forth.

5. In a feeding mechanism for flax-brakes, in combination, guiding means for the straw, said guiding means forming a straw passageway, a vibrating needle-frame provided with opposing points having a gap therebetween, said points being arranged to traverse said straw passage-way near the delivery end thereof, means for actuating the needleframe, yieldingly-driven means for pressing the material into the straw passage-way and against the points of said needle-frame, and a toothed feeding-wheel located at the delivery side of said needle-points for receiving the material therefrom and passing it forward to the machine, substantially as set forth.

6. In a 'liaX-brake, in combination, a feedtable, an upper guide and a butt-board which together form a straw passage-way, a yieldingly-driven feed-chain in said passage-way, a vibrating needle-frame arranged to traverse said passage-Way near the delivery end thereof, a grasping and conveying chain, and a toothed feeding-wheel arranged to deliver the material from the said needle-frame to the said grasping and conveying chain, substantially as set forth.

7. In a feeding mechanism for {lax-brakes, in combination, guiding means for straw, said guiding means forming a straw passageway, a yieldingly-driven feed-chain in said passage-way, a vibrating needle-frame arranged to traverse said passage-way near the delivery end thereof, the said needle comprising two arms rigidly secured together at their outer ends and pivotally mounted on the frame of the machine, needle-points placed in opposition to each other at the free ends of said arms and with a slight gap therebetween, the said gap arranged to come within said passage-way, means for vibrating said needle-frame, and a toothed feedingwheel for receiving the material from said needle-points and conveying it therefrom, substantially as set forth.

GEORGE H. ELLIS. Witnesses:

MARGARET A. SWEENEY, J. C. VARNES. 

